Edward Cullen’s undying love for Bella Swan can bring a tear to the most skeptical romantic. The way he is willing to risk his life for her shows a level of love that most people dream of. The people that dream of this unrealistic fantasy like relationship are the young followers that are enamored with the modern day love story of Twilight. Their obsession and idealization with these two characters can have a negative effect on their perception of reality. The fantasy-like beliefs cause unrealistic expectations that often lead to disappointment when not measured up to in reality. The truth of the matter is, young men, as hard as they try, can never be like Edward Cullen. They don’t possess the vampire-like qualities that give them super human strength which aids them in the defense against evil villains. Regardless of the threat Twilight poses to the masculine entity in a relationship, men globally find themselves becoming passionate about the series as Times Newspaper in India states “And it's not just the women who seem to be lusting after vampire blood - men seem equally taken by the series too. Says fashion choreographer Karun Raman, ‘I actually watched the movie first and then went on to read the book. To say that I'm hooked is putting it mildly. The special effects are brilliant and the love story has been woven in so beautifully’” (Suresh).
Due to the Twilight obsession with young and old, male and female, expectations in relationships are shifting to unrealistic heights. An article by Laura M. Botherson states “Husbands may become even less motivated to please their wives if they know they are competing with a fantasy--it's a contest they can't win. Most men won't even try. It makes for a vicious cycle of a woman feeling unloved--making her more susceptible to the Twilight fantasy, and the husband being less likely to even try to connect with her” (Brotherson).
Using mythological creatures to create a mysterious world of masculine characters creates an ideology of masculinity that men are starting to crave. The casting for this series strategically considered aesthetics when choosing strapping young actors with muscles, strength and smooth chivalrous speech to play the roles. Young girls everywhere dream of a knight in shining armor on a white horse to come and rescue them from their uneventful lives. These impossible standards make it hard for the average Joe to measure up or even come close to these expectations. Inevitably these unrealistic expectations not only result in disappointment for the young woman who does not have her fantasies come true, but the eager suitor who just does not measure up. Twilight’s love story although very heart-warming has damaging effects on its young followers and creates a false reality that they can’t come to terms with. Edward Cullen is a fictional character, in a fictional world – his dilemmas are manufactured and so are the resolutions. Twilight enthusiasts everywhere should accept this for what it is, a fantasy and not model their expectations around this. After all, it is hard enough for the young men to muster up the courage to court a girl, much less conquer the world. Give the guys a break, they are only humans!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk24ui7eeyI
Suresh, Tarunya. "Twilight Saga Gaining Popularity - Times Of India." Featured Articles From The Times Of India. 02 Dec. 2009. Web. 03 Mar. 2011. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-12-02/news-interviews/28108922_1_harry-potter-series-stephenie-meyer-s-twilight-twilight-saga
Brotherson, Laura M. "The Twilight Obsession and Its Effect on Marriages." Self Improvement from SelfGrowth.com. Web. 03 Mar. 2011.
